Today’s Motto: ‘Nobody holds a good opinion of a man who holds a low opinion of himself’

This is Your Day-TODAY: Take a Determined Step Forward and Make History!

On this day, 24 Jun….

1763 – Murshidabad in Bengal was captured by the East India Company under Major Adams for the second time, and Mir Jaffar was declared the King.

1812 – Napoleon’s Grand Army invades westrern parts of   Russia. It proved  as  a  big  disaster for his efforts  to   capture  Russia,  due to  long  wintry  desert  region of  Siberia  and  his  army  felt  fatigue, many died   and  others  retaracted  back  to  Europe.

1873 – Samuel Clemens (the author known as Mark Twain) received a U.S. patent for a self-pasting Scrapbook. (Earlier, in 1871, Samuel Clemens received his first patent for “An Improvement in Adjustable and Detachable Garment Straps”).

1894 – Decision was taken to hold modern Olympics every 4 years under the main promotor of  modern Olympics Pierre de Courtin, a French educator,  sports  enthusiast. He was also elected 2nd President of  IOC. (more details in yesterday’s post).

1930 – The first radar detection of aircraft took place (in US).

1943 – Dr. William Randolph Lovelace II jumped out of a B-17 bomber flying at 40,200 feet in order to test the emergency oxygen unit he had designed with colleagues. His test led to development of automatic parachute opening devices.

1946 – Congress party rejects British plan for provisional govt. pending  drafting of  a Constitution for India  by the Constititent   Assembly New Delhi.
1961 India’s  indigenously  Manufactured Supersonic fighter HF24 took to air for the first time.

1963 – The first demonstration of a home video recorder was made at the BBC News Studios in London.

1986 – Government announced that unmarried mothers under its employment would also get maternity leave.

1990 – Defence scientists successfully test fired country’s first third generation anti-tank missile ‘NAG’.  (pic credit-MoD)

1991 – The first-ever BJP ministry led by Kalyan Singh takes over in UP. It was during his reign that the  controversial  Babri masjid structure was demolished by Kar Sewaks in Ayodhya.

Born….

1885 – Master Tara Singh, freedom fighter and leader of Akali Dal.

1908 – Guru Gopinath, (Perumanoor Gopinathan Pillai),  was a well known Indian actor-cum-dancer from  Central Travancore state in Kerala. He is well regarded as the greatest preserver of the Indian classical and  mythological  dance tradition.   He practiced and preached Bharat Natanam with his wife and an American disciple Ragini (Esther Luella Sherman). He was awa4ded Kerala Sangeetha Akademi Fellowship and Sangeet  Natak  Akademy awards.  He wrote many books on Indian classsical dances and mythological Ram Leela Ballets. 

RIP….1980 – Varahagiri Venkata Giri, Fourth President of India. (more details given in yesterday’s post).

Titbits….

1916 – Mary Pickford  (Gladys Louise Smith), a Candaian American actress  becomes the first female film star to get a million dollar contract.  She had a worth of US $ 40 million in 1980s. (pic credit-tcm.com)

1974 – India all out for 42 in Lord’s Test cricket in 77 mins.

2010 – Longest match in tennis history: John Isner of the U.S. defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon after 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over three days (pic credit-sportingnews.com).

You may have known….

Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted surgeries like cesareans, cataract, fractures and urinary stones. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India. 

{Compiled by Lt. Gen. (R) Raj Kadyan}